Nicolas Pepe has finally arrived in an Arsenal shirt.

After months of sporadic showings of quality, the Ivorian winger delivered on the big stage, scoring two world-class free-kicks against Vitoria to turn the game on its head last night.

Arsenal were 2-1 down to the Portuguese outfit when Pepe replaced Alexandre Lacazette, but the 24-year-old's brace sealed a 3-2 win for Unai Emery's side.

It was quite a night for Pepe, with his two goals coming courtesy of expertly struck free-kicks.

The first deceived the Vitoria goalkeeper, while the second was a powerful strike which rocketed into the top corner.

PEPE GAMBLES ON THE 'KEEPER

PEPE SEALS WIN WITH POWERFUL LATE STRIKE

Two brilliant free-kicks and it's worth remembering just how hard it is to execute a set-piece to such perfection under pressure - just ask Cristiano Ronaldo.

While the 34-year-old is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in the history of the game, he has found scoring free-kicks incredibly tough in recent years.

In fact, in 28 attempts since his move to Juventus, Ronaldo has not scored from a free-kick once, with 19 of them have hitting the opposition's wall.

Thankfully for the Portuguese, he can rely on his predatory instincts in the box to score his goals, a skill which could not have served him any better in recent years.

Ronaldo was renowned as one of the world's finest free-kick takers during his days with Manchester United.

His knuckle-ball effort versus Portsmouth remains one of the Premier League's most famous goals.

But in the latter stages of his career, his powers from a dead-ball situation have waned.

Maybe he needs to give Pepe a call for tips on technique...

What will frustrate Ronaldo more is how prolific his eternal enemy, Lionel Messi, is from free-kicks.

The mercurial Argentine grabbed his first goal of the 2019/20 season from a set-piece against Sevilla a few weeks back and always look a threat when he stands over a dead ball.

However, you wouldn't put it past Ronaldo rediscovering his free-kicks powers, such is his competitive nature.